Qatar stadiums for 2022 World Cup

The Doha Port stadium. Photo: Getty Images

But nowhere is the sense of decadence more depressingly apparent than in the organisation of the world's greatest sporting tournament.

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Back in December 2010, we all knew there was something dodgy going on when the FIFA president Sepp Blatter announced that the 2022 World Cup was to be staged in Qatar. A country constructed on sand, smaller than Yorkshire, with no footballing history, where summer temperatures top 50 degrees celsius, it made absolutely no sense to gift it the competition. Frankly, there would have been more logic in holding football's grandest tournament in Greenland in January.

There had to be an explanation for the decision, one that Blatter himself described recently as "a mistake". Which means the latest revelations this weekend about widespread venality among the men who made it will have come as little surprise.

Explosive: The front page of The Sunday Times

After The Telegraph's exposure of illicit payments and underhand accounting involving the former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner, the email trail of corruption leaked to The Sunday Times is but confirmation of what we have all long suspected.

The 2022 World Cup was bought. Of this there can now be no doubt.

Naturally Qatar is anxious to distance itself from such accusations. It insists that Mohammed Bin Hammam - the man who is said to have been at the heart of the wholesale purchase - was not working for the official bid committee. Although oddly, as he flew around the world bestowing bounty from secret bank accounts, he did so in a private jet lent by the Qatari royal family.

But whether he was working directly, or indirectly, we can now be certain that his financially targeted lobbying paid off.

And this despite everything. Despite temperatures so extreme the competition will have to be moved to the winter if the participants are not to be barbecued on the pitch; this despite the bid breaking FIFA's own rule about only having three of the required eight venues in a bidding country's capital city - all eight stadiums are being constructed within a 12-mile radius of Doha - this despite Qatar's bid being described as "high risk" by FIFA's own inspection committee. None of that matters when dollars are being bundled into brown envelopes.

It is now surely impossible for the Qatar tournament to go ahead. Never mind that stadium construction is already under way (taking in the process the lives of some 964 immigrant workers), never mind that through its ownership of Paris St Germain the Qatari royal family has the ear of football's leading international bureaucrats - such as the UEFA president Michel Platini - never mind that the bid team can pay for the finest legal minds around, the competition simply cannot be staged there. If it goes ahead, no one will ever be able to trust anything FIFA does ever again.

There are still eight years to go. That represents more than enough time to reorganise, to find a more suitable place to stage sport's most glittering product.

That won't take long: anywhere beyond Antarctica is more suitable. Hold it in the USA, which bid against Qatar. Or better still, let it take place in Australia, a sports-mad society where, unlike Qatar, gay fans will be welcomed and women supporters will not be obliged to cover their heads.

If FIFA wants a smokescreen for such a decision, use health and safety. But the organisation has to do something. Nothing less than the very future of sporting integrity is at stake.

These polls are not scientific and reflect the opinion only of visitors who have chosen to participate.

30 comments so far

What utter sour grapes. Whats the problem, FIFA is entitled to select whichever Country they wish, its a private company and if people want the tour to play in their town then seriously its whatever gets the business done. There are any number of sports that go the same way in selection so whats the problem. Obviously there are some naive people out there.

Commenter

Lindsay

Location

Stamford

Date and time

June 02, 2014, 1:39PM

As this is a British written article and England weren't bidding for the 2022 games it's probably not sour grapes. And the amount of construction workers dying so some people can kick a bag of air around is obscene. Or is wanting the tournament to go somewhere that doesn't have a complete disregard for the life of its (migrant) workers sour grapes too?

The only flaw in the article was it suggested FIFA had credibility before the process.

My preference would be the US. The 1994 WC in the US is still the best attended tournament. I don't think australia really has the stadiums or passion for the sport to do it well. Having said that, having stadiums hasn't stopped brazil and lack of passion didn't stop the qatar bid!

Commenter

nick

Location

Date and time

June 02, 2014, 2:06PM

This was went to be a vote NOT an auction - and they can't even deliver on a summer world cup despite the promises. Migrant worker rights on the stadiums are a well documented disaster. And now the emails PROVING corruption. I guess you are looking for a reaction though with this sort of troll post.

Commenter

Max

Location

Date and time

June 02, 2014, 2:11PM

Lindsay - why have a vote at all then, right? Whoever's willing to pay the most gets to host the Cup. Who cares what might be in the best interest of the players, the fans, the country, the game itself etc. Let money decide! No. I'd rather be naive and hoping for something better than being apathetic toward a corrupt system that benefits a select few, to the detriment of everyone else.

Commenter

Ruddegar

Location

Date and time

June 02, 2014, 2:18PM

The problem is that the countries who bid for the world cup spent money to develop and market their bid. Whether that should be allowed is another matter however the other countries followed the rules set by FIFA. If Qatar has been found to disregard these rules and FIFA has being found of accepting bribes it is unfair to the other countries that have done the right thing.

This is also not even mentioning the death rate of construction workers in Qatar, the potential switching of the WC to December (a whole other issue) and the restrictions placed on certain travellers there (gays and Jews)

Commenter

Sam

Location

Date and time

June 02, 2014, 2:30PM

FIFA is not a private company it is an administrative organisation.

Commenter

Joe the POM

Location

Geelong

Date and time

June 02, 2014, 2:36PM

No, actually, FIFA isn't a company its an international body. It is empowered, by its member associations, to act on behalf of its member associations. Do you really think that its officials accepting bribes, to ignore the processes put in place to award the World Cup, is acting on behalf of its members? The article outlines all reasons why giving the WC to Qatar is not in the interests of FIFA associates.

And besides, if officers of a company act for their own interests rather than that of the company it is illegal as well.

People may be "naive" to think that the people who staff an organisation tasked with promoting a sport and representing its members would do so, rather than enrich themselves at every opportunity. However, this doesn't mean that being angry about it is "sour grapes". If someone was awarded a tender from the government due to bribery would your response be "How naive, everyone knows that government officials can be corrupt, quit with the sour grapes!"

Commenter

Uncle Snapper

Location

Date and time

June 02, 2014, 2:44PM

maybe you shouldn't comment on things you obviously nothing about. Your comment is ignorant and moronic

Qatar should not get the WC. They should be stripped immediately. Blatter is a spineless corrupt gimp so it's unlikely to happen

Commenter

CB

Location

Glenorie

Date and time

June 02, 2014, 3:18PM

"Some naïve people out there" what a befitting end the most naïve comment anyone could've possibly thought of posting to this article! Well trolled Bin Hammam ermm I mean "Lindsay".

Commenter

Sommy

Location

Syd

Date and time

June 02, 2014, 3:21PM

I hope Qatar get to host the 2022 world cup so that we can all see how much of a joke the tournament will be.